East Rutherford Expands Columbus Day Festival To Three Days

The East Rutherford Columbus Day Parade and Festival is expanding to a three-day event this year.Photo Credit: East Rutherford Civic Pride AssociationCarnival rides will be on site at the eighth annual festival.Photo Credit: East Rutherford Civic Pride AssociationLocal organizations will be on hand to march in the Columbus Day Parade.Photo Credit: East Rutherford Civic Pride Association

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The East Rutherford Columbus Day Parade and Festival returns for its eighth year and is bigger and better with the expansion to a three day event.

The first six years the festival was held as a two-day event and last year one-day was experimented with.

“This year we decided to really go for it,” said Cliff Witmyer, Founder, CEO and Executive Producer of Cliffhanger Productions, who is helping to produce the event.

The festival, conceptualized by William Pompeo, is a “really cool block party.”

“We needed something fun in town and we have so many great people in the south Bergen area, but had no place to meet up and have a good time,” said Pompeo, owner of Anabellea’s in East Rutherford and founder of the East Rutherford Civic Pride Association.

“We wanted to get people out and that’s exactly what happened… Mission accomplished," he said. "People can come here and forget all their troubles and have a good time.”

Musical entertainment will be featured including The Shots on Friday who will perform with the Bergen County Pipe and Drum.

“They are all bag pipers, who do everything from Elvis to Guns and Roses,” Witmyer said.

Saturday, Uncle Floyd will perform and from noon to 3 p.m. A parade will make its way through town featuring marching bands, local organizations, the grand marshall, the mayor and council and, Columbus — of course.

The event will finish off on Sunday with a performance by Pompeo’s own band “William Pompeo and the Pros,” and The Nerds.

Guests can also partake in food trucks, carnival rides and local vendors.

“I am so happy that East Rutherford is finally being recognized as a community of many events,” East Rutherford Councilman Joel Brizzi said. “We now have summer concerts on Park Avenue and the Columbus festival. I give so much credit to the members of the East Rutherford Civic Pride Association and Cliffhanger Productions and the support of the mayor and council.”

The festival will be held Friday 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Park Avenue between Union Avenue and Orchard Street.